Bangladesh hit by bird flu

Officials have announced that nearly 500 chickens have
been killed by bird flu, in what is reported to be the first outbreak in
north-eastern Bangladesh.

Bird flu hit a poultry farm in Moulavibazar about 250 km from
the capital city Dhaka.

"After the confirmation of bird flu, authorities culled nearly 800
chickens, ducks and birds in a 1 km area around the affected farm," said
Salehuddin Khan, director of the country's livestock department.

It has been reported that the highly pathogenic H5N1 poultry virus was
first discovered near the capital in March in 2007, consequently killing more
than 300,000 birds. In the most recent outbreak, 71 farms in 22 of Bangladesh's
64 districts have been infected.